Cessna 150F accident near Westlake, California, April 30, 1988
On April 30, 1988 at about 9:18 pm local time, a Cessna 150F, registered N8008S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Westlake, California. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 1988 · about 9:18 pm local time
- Place
- Westlake, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150F · all 150Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8008S · no longer on the register · serial 15061608
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A BANNER TOWING OPERATION, THE PLT HAD JUST TRANSFERRED FUEL FROM THE AUX TANK TO THE MAINS. TWO MINUTES LATER THE ENGINE QUIT. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A FIELD WHERE THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE TERRAIN. THE ENGINE WAS INSPECTED AND RAN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES WITH NO MECHANICAL FAILURES OR MALFUNCTIONS NOTED. ONLY UNUSEABLE FUEL WAS FOUND ONBOARD THE ACFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,500 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,400 as pilot in command; 310 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Red Baron Air Ads
The flight
- Departed from: WHP Los Angeles CA at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 20 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.